The below list is a work in progress. Come back for updates!

Chez Casper & Roger

Our Dutch home is located just off of Prinsengracht (one of the main canals), in a neighbourhood called the Jordaan. We’ll surely be hosting some smaller events there.

Eating Out

One of our favourite places in town is Toscanini; a quaint, relaxed restaurant in the Jordaan. Delicious meals made with love. Reservations highly recommended.

The famed De Kas has an organic attitude to match its chic glass greenhouse setting. Most of its produce grow right here and the result is incredibly pure flavours with innovative combinations. There’s one set menu each day, based on whatever has been freshly harvested. Reserve in advance. East Amsterdam = Uber/cab/longer tram ride. eating-out

Proeverij 274 overlooks the picturesque Prinsengracht. Seasonal and organic, often regional food.

Busy and informal, De Reiger in the Jordaan has been a no-reservation, walk-in gastropub, long before gastropub was even a word.

Located in Amsterdam East, off of the river Amstel, is Rijssel, French meats and wines, with a touch of Flemish, and the best rotisserie chicken in the world.

Bazar, a former church, now an Arabic-kitsch café, is one of the glories of Albert Cuypmarkt (the Monday-to-Saturday outdoor market in Amsterdam Old South). Couscous, kebab, falafel – great for lunch.

Best apple pie, EVER: you’ll have it at Cafe Winkel, around the corner from our home. Have it with whipped cream and a fresh mint tea. Now that’s LEKKER! (lekk-irr = yum). Skip Winkel on Saturday, however, when the outdoor farmer’s market guarantees a way a too long line.

Find other great lunch options at the Buffet of Odette in Prinsengracht 598; or the cozy The Lobby in Hotel V Nesplein, in the old city center at Nes 49; or at Bakers & Roasters at Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat 54, in Amsterdam Old South.

Check out hundreds of other eateries on the Dutch review site Iens.nl, or on their free iPhone, Android, or Windows app.

Museums, Tours & Exhibitions

Rijksmuseum: At last re-opened after a decade-long renovation, the ‘Rijks’ is home to renowned Rembrandts, including The Night Watch, plus a grand company of other Old Masters from Frans Hals and Jan Steen to Ferdinand Bol and Jan Vermeer. Museum Quarter, daily, 9am-5pm.

Van Gogh Museum: painter More of the tortured artist’s paintings and drawings are collected at the Van Gogh than anywhere in the world, from The Potato Eaters, through Sunflowers, to Wheatfield with Crows. Pre-book online to avoid long entrance queues. Museum Quarter, daily, 9am-5pm, except Fri until 10pm.

Anne Frank House: The attic rooms where the Frank family hid during World War II, reached through a door behind a hinged bookcase, are bare of furniture yet almost unbearably poignant. Avoid gargantuan queues by pre-booking online. Prinsengracht 263-267, around the corner from our home, daily 9am-9pm, except Sat to 10pm.

Stedelijk Museum: the Stedelijk showcases modern and contemporary art from CoBrA and De Stijl, and major pieces by Mondrian, Kandinsky and Malevich. There’s a rich collection of design and applied art, too, with video art and up-to-the-minute new work also get a good showing. Museum Quarter, daily, 10am-6pm, except Thu until 10pm.

The Black Heritage Amsterdam Tour: walking and/or boat tour by Surinam/American/Dutch Jennifer Tosch, about the African Diaspora and colonial past of Dutch society from the 16th century to the present, on board a beautiful vintage boat which travels along Amsterdam’s ‘canal belt’ (Dutch: Grachtengordel) revealing the hidden histories of the city, and the African presence seen from historical buildings, canal house museums, city landmarks, and fine art.

The Tropenmuseum (Museum of the Tropics): deriving from the Dutch colonial past and a part of the Royal Tropical Institute, this ethnographic museum contains fascinating exhibitions on many non-Western cultures. The museum is located to the east of the city centre and close to Oosterpark. It is housed in a fine old building which dates from 1926. Tue-Sun, 10am-5pm, closed Mon.

Maritime Museum: ship Five hundred years of maritime history is packed into the elegant Dutch classicist Admiralty Arsenal, built on the water in 1655 to stock and supply the vessels of the Golden Age. The reproduction 18th-century Dutch East Indiaman, moored in the harbour alongside the museum, is a must. Amsterdam East, daily, 9am-5pm.

FOAM Photography Museum: Photography is hot in Amsterdam at the moment, and FOAM offers not only international blockbuster exhibitions by the likes of Diane Arbus and Richard Avedon, but also smaller shows by contemporary photographers. Keizersgracht 609, daily, 10am-5pm.

EYE Film Institute: located at Overhoeks, a new development on the northern bank of the IJ opposite central station. With its sleek modern design, the building is a wonderful new public space for Amsterdam – housing film-themed exhibitions, 4 cinema screens, an auditorium and a cafe-restaurant. Open daily. Basement: 10am-6pm, Exhibitions: 11am-6pm, Fri 11am-9pm. EYE bar-restaurant: 10am-1am (Sun-Thu) and 10am-2am (Fri/Sat).

If you’re hitting a lot of museums, invest in an I Amsterdam Card. Valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours, the card includes a detailed city map, unlimited use of the public transport system, and free entrance to some of Amsterdams best museums and attractions.

More galleries and museums are listed here.

Shopping

Delicious:
Pucinni Bonboni: hand crafted pure local chocolates without preservatives (to be eaten within 7-10 days), in sometimes unusual and adventurous flavors. No fondant, sugar, or butter is used, and nothing artificial. A little pricey, so control yourselves.

De Kaaskamer (The Cheese Room) offers over 200 varieties of domestic and imported cheeses, plus patés, olives, pastas and wines. Have fun quizzing the staff on the different cheese types and related trivia. Runstraat 7 (between Keizergracht and Prinsengracht). Open noon-6pm Mon; 9am-6pm Tue-Fri; 9am-5pm Sat; noon-5pm Sun.

Stroopwafel Heaven: one of the best things Dutch is the Stroopwafel, an addictive thin waffle and syrup cookie. They get baked right in front of you at Stroopwafel Heaven (they have a ‘museum’ upstairs). Westermarkt 7 H, near our home. Or buy freshly made stroopwafels at an Albert Cuyp Market stand (see the market section below).

Hajenius Cigar Store: the ‘old master’ of Dutch cigar stores, since 1826. Housed in a stunning Art Déco building on Rokin 96. Monday noon-6pm, Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm.

Design & Decor:
Frozen Fountain: The ‘Froz’ is a paradise for lovers of contemporary furniture. It stays abreast of innovative Dutch designers like Piet Hein Eek, the maestro of furniture made from recycled wood; it also sells stuff by the non-Dutch likes of Marc Newsom, plus modern classics and photography. shopping Prinsengracht 645

De Weldaad: two decor/antique/vintage furniture shops in the historic centre of Amsterdam, one in the Reestraat (opposite Hotel Pulitzer on Keizersgracht corner) and one at de Noordermarkt (open 7 days a week) near our home. Great stuff – and in case you fall in love with something big – they do ship.

Droog: Dutch dynamo Droog’s HQ is a city-centre design mall where you can attend a lecture series or an exhibition, sunbathe in the fantasy courtyard garden and, yes, even spend a night in the single suite. The historic building’s rag trade origins continue at ice-cool boutique Kabinet. The Droog shop still sells some of the wittiest ranges around – think Jurgen Bey, Richard Hutten and sofa queen Hella Jongerius. Staalstraat 7A/B

Outdoor Markets:
Noordermarkt: just around the corner from our home, Noordermarkt becomes an organic farmers’ market each Saturday (great Dutch cheese, sausages, baked goods!) and on Monday morning toffers huge stacks of (mainly second-hand) clothes, shoes, jewelry, hats and antiques. Arrive early or the best stuff will probably have been nabbed.

Albert Cuyp Market: Amsterdam’s largest general market sells everything from pillows to prawns at great prices. The clothes on sale tend to be run-of-the-mill cheapies.

Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market): the world’s only floating flower market, with 15 florists and garden shops (although many also hawk cheesy souvenirs these days) permanently ensconced on barges along the southern side of Singel. The plants and flowers usually last well and are good value.

Pop / Classical / Dance / Ballet

Monday May 4th at 8:30pm
Virginia string band Hackensaw Boys at Amsterdam’s legendary pop temple, Paradiso
info / tickets

Tuesday May 5th at 8:15pm
French chansons and stories by Flemish Francophile Bart van der Loo and the band Eddy et les Vedettes at the cute Kleine Komedie theater:
info / tickets

Tuesday May 5th at 8.30pm
Musical Collective Merals Harem performs dramatic, powerful music from Turkey via Toscany to Amsterdam. At Theater Bellevue.
info / tickets

Wednesday May 6th at 8.30pm
Musical Collective Merals Harem performs dramatic, powerful music from Turkey via Toscany to Amsterdam. At Theater Bellevue.
info / tickets

Friday May 8th at 9pm (option for dinner starting at 7pm)
Blues: Guy Forsyth from Austin, Texas
info / tickets

Friday May 8th at 8.15pm
Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Closet – hiphop meets ballet at the Nationale Opera & Ballet.
info / tickets

Friday May 8th at 8.15pm
Dutch singer/songwriter Emil Landmark (compared to Nick Drake) plays at Paradiso’s smaller room.
info / tickets

Sunday May 10th at 2pm and 8.15pm
Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Closet – hiphop meets ballet at the Nationale Opera & Ballet.
info / tickets

Sunday May 10 at 8.30pm
Flamenco at Amsterdam’s legendary pop temple, Paradiso
info / tickets

Sunday May 10th at 1.45pm
Opera: Händel’s 1743 opera Semele at the world famous Royal Concert Gebouw, by the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Concerto Köln, conductor Ivor Bolton.
info / tickets

Sunday May 10th at 11am
Mother’s Day Recital by Olivia Vermeulen at the world famous Royal Concert Gebouw
info / tickets

Monday May 11th at 8pm
Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Closet – hiphop meets ballet at the Nationale Opera & Ballet.
info / tickets

Sunday May 10th at 9pm (option for dinner starting at 7pm)
Jazz: Dave Weckl Acoustic Band at the North Sea Jazz Club
info / tickets

The full calendar for Paradiso (cool concert venue in an old church): http://www.paradiso.nl/web/English-Agenda.htm
The other legendary Amsterdam music venue, De melkweg (the Milky Way): http://www.melkweg.nl/en/agenda
Full calendar for the Royal Concert Gebouw: http://www.concertgebouw.nl/en

Beyond Amsterdam

Tulips, tulips, tulips
Keukenhof is the home of Holland’s annual tulip festival and the most well known tulip festival in the world. Located just south of Amsterdam in the small town of Lisse, it’s a fun (half) day trip. Buses run regularly from both cities. Their website maps out how to get there. flowermarket

The beach
The beach and North Sea are just a 25 minutes train ride from Amsterdam. In early May, the sea water is too cold for most, but the dunes and beaches make for a nice hike and some of the trendy beach bars offer great lunch or a laid back sunset dinner. Take a train from Amsterdam Central Station straight to Zandvoort aan Zee. Leave the ugly little beach town behind you for the southward dunes and beach – let’s plan a trip! Favorite beach bars/restaurants: Tijn Akersloot (a 30 minute beach walk south), and Zout.

National Park De Hoge Veluwe
The Hoge Veluwe National Park, near the city of Arnhem and the German border, is approximately 55 square kilometers in area, consisting of heathlands, sand dunes, and woodlands. Most of the landscape was created during the last Ice Age, and the park forms one of the largest continuous nature reserves in the Netherlands. It’s a one hour train ride from Amsterdam. The Kröller-Müller Museum within the park includes numerous important works by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Odilon Redon, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Auguste Rodin and Piet Mondrian among others. A second museum, Museonder, focuses on the geology and biology of the Veluwe. A bicycle sharing system in the park makes bicycles available for free to visitors, with much of the area being inaccessible by car.

Rotterdam
Rotterdam is your typical second city – existing for themselves and not just for tourists – and from this, creativity and a certain je ne sais quoi usually develops. Striking architectural landmarks, art-dominated streets, influential design studios and hip bars and restaurants, Rotterdam cruises along with an oh-so-cool spirit and is a city worth making a detour for. Having been bombed flat during WWII, Rotterdam quickly transformed itself and, as hope springs eternal, sprouted a flurry of modern buildings, cementing itself as an architecturally trailblazing city. Rotterdam’s brand new Markthal (superdutch goes supersized) is a psychedelic marketplace. The renovated Kunsthal museum reopened last year. François Geurds, chef of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant FG, opened another restaurant. Need a launching pad? Check into a brand-new gem: the Rem Koolhaas-designed nhow hotel. More on visiting Rotterdam paris here, and here.

Brussels, Paris & Cologne
Travel fast & comfortable by train from and to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Cologne. When heading to Paris or Brussels, make sure to take the high speed Thalys train. Thalys departs 10 times a day via the HSL-Zuid and 11 times on Fridays. Your travel time to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris will therefore become considerably shorter (Amsterdam to Paris: 3 hours and 16 minutes). Tickets can be bought 3 months before departure (and just like airplane tickets, get more expensive closer the trip).